Lightweight and disposable bag carrier



Get. 7, 1969 I M, L. swARA 3,471,163

LIGHTWEIGHT AND DISPOSABLE BAG CARRIER Filed March 4, 1968 F l G .4

' mvzzm'ox. MARTIN L. SWARA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,471,163 LIGHTWEIGHT AND DISPOSABLE BAG CARRIER Martin L. Swara, 2565 Nye St,

San Diego, Calif. 92111 Filed Mar. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 710,194 Int. Cl. B62b 3/00; B60b 33/00 US. Cl. 28047.26 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention Duffel bags, sea bags, and like bags are well known and have been used by members of the armed forces for many years to store their personal belongings. These bags are generally made of canvas or other suitable heavy fabric, have a cylindrically shaped longitudinal length and have a hand strap and a shoulder strap for carrying. Certain members of the armed services are normally obliged to carry and transport all their clothing and personal belongings in such bags. When members of the armed services are moved from one establishment to another, go On vacation, leave, or are otherwise transported to different locations, they are required to move or carry their duffel bag, sea bag, or the like. While the bags may be transported on trains, busses or other such conveyances, the bags still have to be carried and moved to and from such conveyances. Practically everyone has observed military personnel carrying their dulfel bags over their shoulders. These duffel bags, when loaded, are normally filled to capacity, are large and heavy and are bulky and difficult to carry and manage. Military personnel cannot be expected to maintain any degree of military bearing while carrying or moving their dutfel bag.

Accordingly, it is of considerable advantage, as will be easily recognized by anyone who is or has been a member of the armed forces, to provide a simple, lightweight, inexpensive, and disposable carrier for carrying duffel bags, sea bags, and the like.

Summary of the invention It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a. new and improved bag carrier.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved lightweight, inexpensive and disposable bag carrier.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved bag carrier, which carrier is transported with the bag as part of the structure of the bag for use as necessary in conveniently moving the bags.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved bag carrier that is securely attached to a duffel bag, sea bag, or the like and generally conforms to the longitudinal shape of the bags.

An embodiment of the carrier of this invention is made of plastic or from other suitable materials and has a platform with a thin handle member. The handle member extends the length of the duffel bag and has an end gripping portion that curves around the end of the duffel bag. A pair of lightweight and inexpensive wheels are secured to the platform for rolling the carrier and the duffel bag. The carrier is constructed of lightweight, inexpensive, shock resistant material and is strong even though it is lightweight and is thus able to withstand the wear and tear of transporting the duffel bags. Still further, since the structure is of lightweight material such as plastic, when it is strapped to the duffel bag it essentially becomes a part of the duffel bag itself. Accordingly, the carrier goes with the duffel bag when it is transported on trucks, trains, baggage cars, aircraft or the like. Thus a person wanting to move a duffel bag, purchases and installs the duffel bag carrier of this inveption and moves the dulfel bag to the point of transportation. The duffel bag is transported with the carrier thereon and when the person picks up the duffel bag at the destination point, he merely grasps the handle and rolls the bag and carrier.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like I parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front, plan view of an embodiment of vmy invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the bag carrier of my invention shown in the position of supporting a duffel bag, sea bag, or the like.

FIGURE 3 is a top view with parts broken way of the manner of connecting the securing straps.

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along lines 44 of FIG- URE 1.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, a lightweight and disposable bag carrier 10 has a lower platform 14 with a flat or concave shape, a bottom surface 16 and curved sides 54. One side of the platform 14 is raised to connect with an upward, lath-shaped, handle member 12. The other side of the platform 14 has a generally flat opening. The lath-shaped, handle member 12 has a length that substantially corresponds to the longitudinal length of a filled duffel bag, sea bag, or the like, 50 that is carried. The upper end of the handle member 12 terminates with a pair of separated arms 38 and 40 to which is connected a cross bar 42 forming a gripping handle. The fingers are passed through opening 44 to grip the cross bar 42 in the known manner. As may be viewed in FIGURE 2, the upper end of the handle member 12 is slanted inwardly to generally correspond to the upper curved end of the duffel bag 50.

Strap members 27 and 29 are connected to the handle member 12 at spaced intervals. The straps 27 and 29 have sufficient length to extend around the duffel bag and are interconnected by passing projection 34 through one of the openings 36. The free end of strap 30 passes through the belt loop 32. The straps 27 and 29 are tightly secured to the duffel bag and while handle member 12 is made of substantially rigid structure, handle member 12 still has suflicient flexibility to be drawn against the duffel bag 50. The handle member 12 has suflicient rigidity to support dutfel bag 50 in an upright position as illustrated in FIG- URE 2.

The bottom surface 16 of the platform member 14 has a pair of wheel installations 18 and 26. Each wheel installation comprises a pair of side members 20 that are secured to the bottom surface 16 in any known manner. An axle 22 is supported by side member 20 that in turn supports wheels 24. The wheels 24 may be made of Teflon or other suitable plastic that inherently has a reduced friction surface for contacting the axle 22 and providing a bearing surface therebetween.

In construction, the platform 14, handle 12, and straps 27 and 29 may be constructed of any suitable material that is lightweight, inexpensive, and selectively disposable. It

is preferable that these structures be constructed of plastic, which plastic has strength against shock and yet has sufficient pliance to be able to conform generally to the overall structure of the bag 50 and that will not mar other surfaces or injure persons who move the bag 50. The strap members 27 and 29 may be made integral with the handle member 12 or they may be connected thereto by suitable snap fasteners or the like (not shown). The handle member 12 is normally made integral with the platform member 16 and has a more flexible structure than the platform 16.

Operation In operation, the duffel bag is placed upon the platform 16 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. Straps 27 and 29 are cinched around the duffel bag 50. The duffel bag is then rocked back on its pair of wheels 18 and 26 and rollably moved in the known manner. The bag may be held in an upright position as illustrated in FIGURE 2 by rocking the bag 50 and carrier forward so that the lower surface 16 of the platform 14 rests on the ground surface. Thus the carrier provides a means for standing the bag up in a held, vertical position. It is expected that because of the lightweight and inexpensive construction of the bag carrier of my invention, that the bag carrier will go with the bag to its point of final destination where it will be removed and either disposed of, or used on another bag.

Having described my invention, 1 now claim.

1. A lightweigth and disposable bag carrier comprising:

a platform shaped to support the end of a bag, which bag has a generally elongated longitudinal shape,

a single lath-shaped handle member integrally connected to and propecting upwardly from the rear edge of said platform and projecting beyond the other end of the bag,

said handle member has strap means for holding the 4 bag on said platform and against said handle mem her,

said handle member has sufiicient flexible rigidity to be drawn by said strap means into substantially flush conformity with the outer longitudinal shape of the roller means connected to the bottom of said platform and positioned at said rear edge for rollably supporting said carrier and a big positioned thereon,

and said roller means comprises at least one roll having a diameter that is substantially less than onefourth of the front to rear length of said platform and which roller does not extend rearwardly beyond the rear edge of said platform.

2. A lightweight and disposable bag carrier as claimed in claim 1 in which said end of said handle member only slightly projects beyond the other end of the bag and has a hand grip that is curved toward said bag to generally conform to the upper end of said bag.

3. A lightweight and disposable bag carrier as claimed in claim 2 in which said roller means comprises a pair of wheels supported on each side of said platform and at the rear edge of said paltform and each of said wheels is supported on axles that are in turn supported between a pair of side members that are secured to an project downwardly from the undersurface of said platform.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,018 9/ 1949 McDonald. 2,854,244 9/ 1958 Jarman. 2,93 7,706 5/ 1960 Chandler. 3,014,595 12/1961 Bartmann. 3,046,031 7/ 1962 Reynolds 28047.26

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner JOHN A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner 

